Posted on 09/16/2023 3:53:52 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Reason broke the story of activist Zyahna Bryant baselessly accusing a fellow student of racism. It's still wrong to cancel her.
University of Virginia (UVA) student activist Zyahna Bryant is back in the news again, after facing backlash over a partnership with Dove. The 22-year-old announced in August that she was working with the soap company to promote "fat liberation."
Following coverage from the New York Post, the Daily Mail, and even a comment from Elon Musk, calls to boycott the company have been growing, and "#BoycottDove" was trending on Twitter as of Friday afternoon.
It's not surprising that Bryant would be an online target. As Reason revealed in an April investigation, she made serious accusations that ruined a young woman's life without sufficient evidence. But canceling her is still both wrong and unhelpful—as are nearly all instances of cancel culture in action.
In 2020, Bryant publicly accused fellow student Morgan Bettinger of telling a group of Black Lives Matter protesters that they would "make good speedbumps"—sparking a social media firestorm that resulted in widespread calls for the university to expel Bettinger.
For her own part, Bettinger has consistently claimed that she never spoke to protestors, instead saying that a truck driver who had been sent to block the road during the protest had begun a casual conversation with her, during which she quipped something to the effect of "it's a good thing that you are here, because otherwise, these people would have been speed bumps."
A university investigation later found "insufficient evidence" for Byrant's claims, even concluding that it was "more likely than not" that Byrant never even heard Bettinger make a "speed bumps" remark at all. Despite the inquiry's results, the university allowed Bettinger to be punished anyway, holding to the results of an earlier student-run tribunal which expelled Bettinger in abeyance and forced her to complete a litany of other sanctions. The previous student tribunal found Bettinger guilty of "threatening" UVA students, despite appearing to agree with Bettinger's facially nonthreatening version of events.
Last month, Bettinger filed a formal lawsuit against the university, claiming that school officials violated her First Amendment rights and that administrators "purposefully tampered" with the numerous investigations into Bettinger's conduct to ensure she would be punished for obviously protected speech.
"Despite their personal knowledge that multiple University investigators had concluded that Morgan was innocent of the charges against her," the lawsuit reads, "[University officials] persecuted, prosecuted, and punished Morgan Bettinger."
Now that Bryant has received a Dove sponsorship, those outraged by her baseless accusations against Bettinger have been fomenting an internet firestorm by attempting a Bud Light–style boycott of the company's products.
Reason has consistently argued that internet mobs are a terrible way to find the truth and get justice for those who have been wronged. What's happening here is blatant cancel culture—a concerted effort to destroy someone's personal and professional prospects over a single past incident or comment without any capacity for forgiveness.
Witnessing how an internet pile-on utterly shredded a young woman's life and reputation offers little evidence that these kinds of outrage campaigns can do any good. If anything, this mob will only leave Bryant feeling justifiably aggrieved. While Bryant did far more than mere political wrongthink—she actively lobbied for another student's expulsion and displayed little remorse once the reality of the situation emerged—viciously attacking her (or mounting a boycott of a soap company) won't help Bettinger repair her tarnished reputation.
In fact, if attempts to boycott Dove work, they will distract from what actually happened to Bettinger. They turn her story into a culture-war meltdown and lump her in with online trolls who consider attacking someone's physical appearance a key component of political discourse.
Yes, Zyahna Bryant thoughtlessly ruined Morgan Bettinger's life by slinging baseless allegations in the public square. But getting to the truth of what happened that day in July 2020—and getting justice for Bettinger—won't be accomplished by a nasty, tribalistic internet mob.
Yes, it is. Use cancel culture against the evil.
Still not buying Dove if that’s the face and persona of their brand
If I wanted your opinion, Emma, I would have asked you.
Why would someone choose as a spokesthing a deliberate liar who maliciously ruined someone’s life without apology or attempt at amend? Did fatso go to the school, apologize profusely and lobby to have the harmed student reinstated?
That bad judgement, by choosing such aorally disposable person to be the face of the organization itself should make thinking people reluctant to stake they personal and bodily safety using a product developed by those people?
(to promote “fat liberation.”)
Pound-for-pound this may be Dove’s biggest mistake yet.
They’re going to get a ton of backlash.
Massive mistake. Huge.
What’s next? Dylan Mulvaney?
“morally despicable”
Dove Ad Exec: Fat people need to use more soap.
Woke Dove Exec: Right, let’s promote fatism.
Emma Camp, 2022 graduate. Defending that lard ass racist and Dove soap for hiring her.
BTW, soap IS made of fat.
Allowing people who abuse others to escape without punishment encourages the abuse.
I don’t use/like any of Dove’s products-but I don’t see how a company that manufactures grooming and beauty products would think being represented by a morbidly obese female who admits to lying to the media as well as currently promoting an unhealthy lifestyle is a good idea-the PR person who cam up with this s*** needs to be fired...
Emma, buy all you want. Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. I reserve those decisions for myself...
Emma is a lilly white, self-hating, white, liberal douchebag. It’s in her DNA to defend black people, regardless of their crimes, be it lying, cheating, stealing, assault, robbery, rape, torture or murder.
I despise liberals azzhats like Emma.
Takes more soap to wash her immense surface area. Probably a whole bar per shower....
Oh, look! A crybully orbiter virtue signaling...like we don’t see that everyday.
There must be a handbook out there for suck-ups like Emma.
this is not about cancelling any individual.
it is about holding companies responsible for promoting woke policies that hurt millions of people.
Bryant is not being boycotted, she is free to say whatever she wants.
The Dove brand may be held responsible for bad corporate performance when their customers become aware of bad corporate performance
Eh, not sure I agree.
But presenting this morbidly obese person as an image of Beauty is enough of a reason for a boycott.
They could include a free VHS tape of “Sweatin’ To The Oldies” with every 12-pack of Dove soap 🧼🧼🧼
🤪
I don’t boycott anything. I change vendors of goods and services to me and never return. I am not part of any group or organization. I simply stop doing business with certain entities and never return. Examples could include: Target, Kellogg’s, Gillette, and now Dove to name a few (there are others).
I’m done with Dove (I was a purchaser of their products). I make no demands on them, they can choose to do what they want. I have made my choices already.
Dove Soap 🧼🧼🧼 is going for volume!!
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